Once Upon a Time in the North

When Lee and his daemon, Hester, land in the Arctic town of Novy Odense, they quickly become embroiled in an out-and-out political brawl. So when Iorek offers to help, Lee is only too happy to accept. Together they take on a slippery politician, his monstrous gas-powered gun and a murderous gunfighter. And so begins a friendship that will continue throughout their lives.

Labyrinth

Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Author of the Year, 2007.Winner of the British Book Awards, Richard and Judy Best Read of the Year, 2006.July 1209: In Carcassonne, a sixteen-year-old girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although she cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in protecting it.

Sanctus

An explosive apocalyptic conspiracy thriller from a major new British talent that will set the world alight…REVELATION OR DEVASTATION?The certainties of the modern world are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old conspiracy nurtured by blood and lies …A man throws himself to his death from the oldest inhabited place on the face of the earth, a mountainous citadel in the historic Turkish city of Ruin. This is no ordinary suicide but a symbolic act.

The Last Detective

A woman's naked body is found floating in the weeds of a lake near Bath by an elderly woman walking her Siamese cats. No one comes forward to identify her, and no murder weapon is found, but sleuthing is Superintendent Peter Diamond's speciality. A genuine gumshoe, practising door stopping and deduction: he is the last detective. Struggling with office politics and a bizarre cast of suspects, Diamond strikes out on his own, even when Forensics think they have the culprit.

Clockwork Angels: The Infernal Devices, Book 1

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 1

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the university at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me.

The Cuckoo's Calling: Cormoran Strike, Book 1

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger...

Angels and Demons

World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra.

The Nostradamus Prophecies

Nostradamus wrote 1000 prophecies. Only 942 have survived. What happened to the missing verses? This mystery drives two very different men. Adam Sabir is a writer desperate to revive his flagging career; Achor Bale is a member of an ancient secret society dedicated to the "Three Antichrists" foretold by Nostrodamus: Napoleon, Adolf Hitler - and "one still to come". As Sabir is drawn into the hidden world of France's gypsies, Bale is on his trail. A terrifying hunt begins...

Lady Midnight: A Shadowhunter Novel: The Dark Artifices, Book 1

It's been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn't lead her in treacherous directions....

Neverwhere

Under the streets of London there's a world most people could never even dream of: a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, and pale girls in black velvet. Richard Mayhew is a young businessman who is about to find out more than he bargained for about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his safe and predictable life and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and yet utterly bizarre.

Prudence: Book One of The Custard Protocol

On behalf of queen, country...and the perfect pot of tea. When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Crumpet and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.

Publisher's Summary

Deep within the Peruvian jungle, an astounding secret is about to be uncovered ... Matt's dad, an eminent archaeologist, has disappeared, leaving only a cryptic message with a bizarre set of instructions that lead him to the mysterious Julius Venture and a dangerous treasure hunt.

Soon Matt is crossing continents, deciphering codes and exploring ancient ruins - with monstrous enemies hot on his heels. If Matt wants to see his dad alive he's got to get to the treasure first. And all paths lead to the same place - a magnificent pyramid hidden in the Peruvian jungle.

i love the archaeological mystery genre which is why i chose this book. i enjoyed it and the narration was excellent but it was definitely for the "younger reader" or teenager. reminded me of anthony horowitz's alex rider series. totally inoffensive tho, so i gave it a high rating

Would you be willing to try another book from Justin Richards? Why or why not?

Yes, out of curiosity.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When the creator of the chaos was killed in his own house by his own code.

Did The Chaos Code inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

I wasn't at all impressed by either of Matthew's parents, though their lack of care made for an interesting adventure. I also found the idea that some of the characters had a strange spell on them so they couldn't age weird, along with the idea that someone could make the 4 elements turn into shapes that move and create destruction far fetched. Still, it was different!